Muffliato
by bryancuypers
Summary: SEQUEL TO CONFUNDO. Asher's third year of Hogwarts has arrived. With Harry Potter as a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, what schemes are set to be unleashed on the school this year? Mostly OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: We have the third installment in the SAF series! Wooo! Let me know what you think! Review!**

* * *

**1 - Griffin**

"MOM! DAD! LOOK WHAT I GOT IN THE MAIL!"

Asher buried his head further into his pillow. It was summer, and way too early for his little brother Griffin to be yelling. Groaning, Asher glanced up at his clock. Nine AM. He was going to kill his little brother.

"MOOOM! Come on!"

Rolling from his bed, Asher groggily made his way into the living room, where his brother was holding a stack of letters. Seeing him approaching, Griffin tossed one of the letters at Asher. Glancing down, he saw the Hogwarts emblem and slowly began to pick away at the wax seal.

Asher's parents shuffled into the room, trying to calm Griffin, who was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. When they got close enough, he dumped the pile of letters on the floor, holding in his hands a letter with an identical seal emblazoned on the front.

Asher and his parents grinned as his brother opened the letter, and read the contents. Glancing down at his own letter, which contained a list of books and supplies he would need for the upcoming year, he heard his brother jabbering away to his parents.

Returning to his room, Asher sat down at his desk, grabbed some paper and a pen, and began to write to his friends.

Levi and Julian wrote often. So often, in fact, that Asher usually had to write a letter each day. On the other hand, Thad had never returned a single letter, and Valerie and Sean only responded every so often.

"So Griffin is going to go with you this year?"

Martha, Luke and Asher were walking around the area at a slow pace, passing the playground and the houses of a few friends. Dylan was absent, as usual, because his family was on a trip to California, where the boy would be for the remainder of the summer.

"Yup," Asher nodded, "he's going to be joining me at Hogwarts."  
"I'm still a little lost," Luke muttered, "you're a wizard, and you go to a wizard school. To learn magic. And now your brother is going too. So he's a wizard too?"  
"Yeah," Asher nodded, "both my mum and dad are wizards, so we inherited it or something."  
"So that's the explanation behind your hair…"  
Asher laughed, "Yeah, my magical hair…"

A bit of laughter stopped the three kids in their spot. Turning slowly, Asher grimaced. Just slightly down the road, standing beside a large man, and a tall, thin woman, was Josiah.

"Who is that, Josiah honey?" The woman asked, placing a perfectly manicured hand on Josiah's arm. He shook his head.  
"Someone from school," he grunted, "hanging out with two muggles."

The large man look taken aback.  
"Muggles?" he stepped quickly, up to Asher, "are you in your right mind? Why are you willingly in the presence of these… weaklings?"

Glaring, Asher held his ground, "They're my friends, I'll be around them if I want to."  
The man simply nodded, "Hmmm, a shame. Perfectly good pure-blood, wasted."

Returning to his son and wife, the man grabbed both their arms and led them back down the street. Martha and Luke were left watching Asher.  
"Who was that?"  
"Someone I know from school," Asher bit out, "and his parents."  
"What's a muggle?" Luke asked, one eyebrow raised.  
"Someone without any magical ability," Asher explained, "I guess the thought that you guys are pathetic runs in the family."

* * *

"Don't wave that!"

Asher's dad flailed and grabbed the wand out of Griffin's hand. Griffin merely laughed, running slightly ahead. Asher's dad jogged to keep up, leaving Asher walking beside his mother.

"You have everything you need?" she asked, looking into his currently green eyes, "even your permission slip to the village?"  
"Yeah, I've got everything."  
"You know," his mother said, "I met your father in my third year. He was the year above mine, played on the Quidditch team."

Asher had never heard any of the _real_ details about his parents, so he listened intently.  
"We didn't actually start our relationship until sixth year," she sighed, "he was always so busy with Quidditch…"  
"Why didn't he stay with it?"  
"He played for about four years after he graduated. He went straight from Hogwarts to playing Keeper for England's Quidditch team. He was great."  
"What happened?"  
"Has your dad told you about the Battle of Hogwarts?"

Asher shook his head, and his mom nodded.  
"Well you know about Harry Potter," Asher nodded, "when he was in his seventh year, he was going all around England, looking for the objects that held the pieces of Voldemort's soul; Horcruxes."  
Asher nodded.  
"Well the last of the Horcruxes was at the school, and Voldemort didn't want it destroyed, so he went to the school with all his followers, and attacked."  
Asher gasped, but nodded.  
"Your father and I were there," his mom explained, "fighting against him and his followers. Your father was leading a group of people on brooms, and I was down on the ground with a bunch of the teachers. One of Voldemort's followers knocked your dad off his broom, and he fell into a pile of rocks. It cut his leg up pretty badly."  
Asher winced.  
"Madam Pomfrey was able to save it, but your dad couldn't play Quidditch anymore. It's too physical, and your dad's leg just can't take all the strain it brings."

Asher's dad returned then, carrying Griffin in his arms, and out of breath.  
"This one," he panted, "is going to need to be watched."

* * *

"ASHER!"

Looking up from his trolley, Asher saw Levi's blond head of hair running through a crowd. He had grown considerably taller over the summer, and was most likely the tallest among their group of friends.  
Tailing close behind, was Julian, who didn't seem to have grown an inch.

"Valerie is already on the train, saving us seats." Julian said, and Asher nodded. Before he could step away, his dad's hand was on his shoulder.

"If it isn't too much trouble, could you stay with Griffin and show him where to go when the train stops?" Asher nodded to his dad, and grabbed Griffin's hand, leading him toward Levi and Julian, who were grinning.  
"And who is this little fellow?"  
"He's adorable!"  
"Look at his blue eyes!"  
"I think I might die!"

"Guys!" Asher shouted, silencing their rambling, "this is my brother Griffin. Griffin, this is Levi," he gestured to the blond, "and Julian." He pointed at the brown-haired boy, who was currently grinning like mad.  
"Valerie has her little brother with her too."

Snickering as they stepped on the train, Asher and Griffin waved a 'bye' to their parents, and Asher noticed a few tears in Griffin's eyes. Kneeling down beside him, he grasped Griffin's hand in his.

"Hey," he spoke softly, "what's the matter?"  
"I'm gonna miss them." Griffin replied quietly.

Asher pulled Griffin into a hug. "Don't worry little man, dad's at school, and we'll write to mom all the time. And if you need anything," he said, "and I mean _anything_, you come to me. Okay?"  
Griffin nodded, and the two of them stepped into the compartment where Levi, Julian, Valerie, Valerie's younger brother, and Sean were seated.

"Hi! I'm Carson!" Valerie younger brother waved vigorously at Asher and Griffin, and Asher chuckled, pushing Griffin slightly toward him, so the two could sit together.

"Hey," Levi's eyebrows furrowed, "where's Thaddykins?"  
"Thad stopped me before I got on the train," Valerie said, "he decided to sit with Liz and Noah this year. Wanted to stay away from you two…" she glared at Julian and Levi, who raised their arms in defeat.  
"Don't kill us, evil witch lady!"

The train started moving, and Griffin was waving, with Carson, out the window at their parents. Asher vowed he would watch his little brother, no matter the cost.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: HARRY!**

* * *

**2 - Harry Freaking Potter**

"Griffin! Over here!"

Asher and Valerie were attempting to show their younger siblings to the boats, but the two first-year boys were lost somewhere in the crowd of people.

"I'm dead. Not even the first day and I already lost him…" Valerie was grumbling, until she spotted bright blond hair at waist-height a few feet away. She grabbed the back of the figure's uniform, spinning around the terrified body of her brother.

"Come on, the boats are this way."

Carson was gripping the sleeve of Griffin's uniform, so the short brown-haired boy was dragged along. Asher sighed in relief.

"I'll see you after the Sorting. Just stick with Carson and listen to Hagrid. Dad will probably be the teacher bringing you guys into the hall, so listen to him too. You'll be fine, I promise."

Griffin nodded, gripping Carson's sleeve before waddling over to the boats. Asher and Valerie waved them off, before heading over to the carriages that the older students ride in on.

* * *

"Here they come now." Levi nudged Asher's elbow, and the Ravenclaw third-year turned toward the Great Hall's doors. The tall black pointed hat on his head drooped yet again, and Asher adjusted it just as the doors swung open, revealing Asher's dad, and a large group of first-years.

Stumbling along at the back of the group were Griffin and Carson, who were currently staring wide-eyed at the floating candles, and the bewitched ceiling.

When the first-years reached the front of the room, Asher's dad retrieved a ratty hat, the Sorting hat, from the table in front of the headmistress, and walked it over to a stool placed in the center of the tables.

Asher's dad unrolled a piece of parchment, and began the Sorting.

Carson was the third one mentioned. He pried Griffin's hand from his robe, and shuffled up to the stool, where Asher's dad placed the hat on his head. After a few moments, the hat shouted out: "RAVENCLAW!"

Everyone cheered, especially the Ravenclaws, and Carson huddled over to the empty spaces at the end of the table, right beside Asher and Sean. Asher hi-fived Carson, before turning back to watch the rest of the Sorting.

Another boy, named Ted, was sorted into Hufflepuff. A few of the teachers had a sad look on their face when he walked, but Asher didn't know why. The boy was average height for his age, with low-hanging blond hair. However, when he started walking, his hair shifted to a deep green colour, and he blushed, sitting among the Hufflepuffs without a word.

Asher only watched.

Most of the other first-years were sorted, very few to Ravenclaw, but there were three first-years who were. The first, Carson. The second was a black-haired girl with large glasses sitting on her freckled nose, named Natasha. The third was a short, chubby boy, named Preston, who had very shortly trimmed black hair, and stunning yellow eyes.

Finally, Griffin was called up to the stool.

Asher's dad placed the worn-out hat on Griffin's head, and after a few moments of Griffin's legs swinging on the high stool, and complete silence in the hall, the hat called out: "RAVENCLAW!"

Ginning madly, Griffin went to sit at the Ravenclaw table, students graciously sliding down a bit so Griffin could sit directly beside Asher and Carson. Asher put his arm on Griffin's shoulder, giving a reassuring noogied, before all the students had quietened again, and the final student was sorted.

The student, a fairly well-built boy with tanned skin and spiked black hair, was sorted into Slytherin, taking a place beside Josiah who did a similar 'noogying motion' to the boy. Asher assumed the boy, Blair, was Josiah's younger brother.

Finally the hall quietened again, before the headmistress stood and made the typical beginning-of-the-year speech.

"As always, the forest on the school grounds in out of bounds to all students."

"You know, I don't understand why the forest is even on school grounds if it's forbidden to everyone." Julian mumbled to Asher, who, along with most of the students who heard, laughed. Thad just rolled his eyes and leaned on his elbow.

"Due to reasons I am unable to disclose, Professor Demogorgon, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, is unable to attend school this year. In his place, we have offered a temporary position to famous Auror, Harry Potter, who had graciously accepted the offer."  
The hall burst into a roar, but the headmistress spoke over everyone.  
"However he is unable to attend this feast due to a small affair he is currently tending to."

All the students were talking happily amongst each-other.  
"I can't believe he's going to be teaching us!"  
"Do you think he'd autograph my broom?"  
"I wonder if he'll tell us about You-Know-Who!"  
"I think I might die!"  
"Hold me! I'm going to pass out!"  
"I can't wait to see his scar!"  
"I want to stroke his luscious black hair!"

There were others, that made Asher cringe, and Asher knew that this year was going to be great. They were going to be taught by the most famous wizard in existence, after Merlin and Albus Dumbeldore.

* * *

"So," the prefect started, "this is the Ravenclaw Common Room. Your home away from home for the next seven years."

Asher was watching the two prefects introduce the common room to the first-years, who were even more in awe than they were in the Great Hall. Eyes darted from the blue carpets, to the shimmering bronze chandelier, to the eagle insignia atop the fireplace. When the little children were corralled to the sleeping area, Asher, Sean, Levi and Julian looked between each other, before bursting out laughing.

"How soon do you think it'll be before one of them gets lost?"  
"Minutes, this place is huge."

A few of the first-years shuffled down the stone steps toward the fireplace, but Griffin and Carson were not among them.

"You realise this means that you're going to be appointed babysitter, right?" Levi asked Asher, who sighed.

"It's my little brother," Asher said, "I'm not just going to leave him to fend on his own."

"Are you kidding me?" Julian laughed, "When my brother shows up in two years he's on his own!"

"My brother and I are close. And I've been gone for the past two years. I'm not just going to leave him alone when we actually _are_ together."

"Whatever," Julian laughed again, "to each his own."

* * *

"ASHER! WAKE UP!"

Startled, Asher fell from his four-poster bed and landed on the clod stone floor of the common room. Immediately he was pounced on by Levi, who, like a puppy, prodded at his back until he was shooed away.

"We have fifteen minutes to get to Defence Against the Dark Arts, you do know that, right?" he asked, snapped Asher from his drowsiness.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"You looked peaceful," Levi mumbled, "Oh, and I only realised we had fifteen minutes like, twenty seconds ago."

"You're an idiot."

* * *

"He's gonna hate us. It's the first day and we're already late for his class."

Asher and Levi pushed the doors to the class open, noticing that every seat at the front of the class was taken, an unusual occurrence. Stumbling to the back, with Harry Potter's eyes on them, the two boys turned dark red. This included Asher's hair.

"Dude," Levi nudged him, "Your hair just changed."

Glancing up, Asher noticed that indeed, his hair had changed. Instead of being its usual turquoise colour, his hair was now a bright, crimson red. Harry Potter's eyes turned to one of sadness, before he walked up to the front of the class and started writing on the chalkboard.

_Metamorphmagus._

Asher's face turned red again, before Harry turned to address the class.  
"Does anyone know what this is?"

Asher glanced around, but nobody had their hand raised. Not even Thad, who Asher knew definitely knew the answer.

"No?"

Harry flicked his wand, conjuring the image of a woman. The woman looked beautiful, however the woman's features shifted and she gained a duck's bill. They shifted again, replacing the bill with a pig's snout. The woman's features continued to change as Harry spoke.

"This woman is named Nymphadora. She is no longer alive. She is what we call a metamorphmagus." Harry's eyes moved to Asher, "a metamorphmagus is a witch or wizard who can change their physical appearance at will. Mostly features such as eye colour, or hair colour, but the ones who are more attune, such as this woman, can change entire features. These features include height, facial structure, and a few others."

The students were watching as the woman changed repeatedly, before Harry waved his wand and the woman disappeared.

"At Hogwarts, there are currently two metamorphmagi, which in itself is an unusual occurrence. One of them, a boy sorted last night, Ted, is Nymphadora's son. The other is sitting at the back of the class with crimson red hair."

The class turned to look at Asher briefly, before looking back up to Harry.  
"Is there anything _you_ students want to learn about this year?"

Hands shot up instantly, and Harry grinned, showing off a set of perfect white teeth.  
"Okay. And they are?"

"How to do well in battle!"  
"Offensive spells!"  
"Things that will help us be like you!"

"How to protect ourselves!"  
"Something that will help me beat up my older brother!"  
"Anything, your highness!"

After Harry had calmed the class down, he walked up to the board and wrote again.  
"Why don't we start with duelling spells?"


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: This is my all-time favourite chapter, of any story I have ever written. I just love it. The text in the flashback is taken from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.**

* * *

**3 - The Fourth Order of the Phoenix**

"How was your first day, Griffin?"

Griffin looked up from his pile of books sitting in the middle of a library table.  
"Good. Blair blew something up in Charms. He had to go to the hospital wing. I'm looking for a book to read. Help?"

Asher sat down beside his brother and glanced over the covers of the books set out. Most of them were spell books, but Asher noticed one that was sitting out a bit.

"Here. I read this series first year. They're good. They'll help with the temporary Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher too."

Griffin grinned, getting up from the desk. Asher waved his wand, and the books flew back to their spots on the shelf. Griffin carried with him a brand new edition of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'.

* * *

"The Slytherin Common Room is so cool! It's all black, and shiny, and there's green fire everywhere! But if you put your hand in it, it doesn't burn!"

Carson was telling Griffin about his adventures in the Slytherin Common Room, while Asher, Valerie, Levi, Sean and Julian were sitting in the Great Hall.

"Are you guys excited about Defence Against the Dark Arts this year? Now that we have a decent teacher…" Sean asked, rolling his eyes.

"Definitely," Levi nodded, "I can't wait to learn that Animagus stuff he mentioned yesterday."

"Oh yeah! And all the spells he's done! He said he'd teach us the one he used to beat Voldemort!"

Griffin and Carson were listening now, and Griffin looked taken aback.  
"HEY! I haven't gotten to that part of the book yet! I'm only on the third one!"

The others laughed, and Asher looked up to notice Harry Potter walking over to them from the Great Hall's doors.

"Hey you guys."

"Hello professor." Griffin smiled.

Harry smiled to himself. For the first time since he had been a part of the wizarding world, a wizard wasn't referring to him as a hero, or a chosen-one, or a prophecy child. Just Harry. Just professor.

"Hey Asher, this your younger brother? You guys look quite a bit alike. Is he an metamorphmagus too?"  
"Nope," Asher shook his head, "he's normal."  
"Hey now," Harry protested, "you're still normal. You just have an extra ability that's all. Nothing to be ashamed of. It's not like you could control whether you had it or not. Think of it like this," Harry explained, crouching down to Asher's eye-level, "I didn't have any choice if I wanted to be the chosen one that had to defeat Voldemort. But it happened. You didn't get a choice to be an metamorphmagus, but it happened. We're pretty similar."

Asher looked up at the man in awe. _This_ was the person Asher wanted to be like. You know, without the whole dead parents thing.

"Just think about that. We're not so different after all," he looked to the others, "same goes for you guys. We're pretty similar, after all."

Harry grinned, before returning to full height and strolling from the room.

* * *

"Alright. So today we'll be learning how to disarm an opponent. This is commonly known as my signature spell, and it was the one I used to defeat Voldemort."

The class was standing in a circle around Harry, inside the Room of Requirement. Harry had insisted that his class would be held here whenever they were being taught spells. The room was wide, and there was plenty of free room. On the far end of the room, there was a three-panel mirror that had some old pictures taped up on it.

"We'll split into pairs, and we'll practice this. There's no other way to learn. Reading about the spells in a book is okay, but you'll never be able to send out the spells perfectly on the fly if you don't practice."

Asher paired up with Sean, and the two began casting spells back and forth. Harry was walking around the pairs, his wand grasped between his hands, with a sad face again, watching the students and correcting them if they were doing something incorrect.

"Lets have some pairs come up to the center here and show me what they've learned. Any volunteers?"

Nobody raised their hand.

"No? Okay, well then I'll pick two of you. Ermm…" Harry looked around at the students, "Faulkner, Campbell. You two will do."

Sean and Levi moved to opposite sides of the make-shift duelling arena, and prepped for battle.

"Expelliarmus!"

Levi's wand was flicked from his hand, and it landed in the palm of Sean, to which the class clapped.

"Great work, class dismissed."

* * *

Standing in front of the three-panel mirror, Asher glanced at the photos.

The first, was a group photo, presumably taken twenty-to-thirty years ago, and it depicted a group of adults standing and smiling for the camera. Among them was a man who looked remarkably like Harry, with the same round glasses, but no scar.

The second showed an Asian girl standing alone. It looked like an older Hogwarts School Photo, and the girl was dressed in what Asher recognized was one of the older Ravenclaw uniforms. It was dated 1995.

The third photo was another group photo. Asher could recognize it impeccably. There was another copy of it in his family's house. It was labelled 'the Third Order of the Phoenix'. In it, Asher could make out Harry; the woman Asher had met in Diagon Alley in his first year; two ginger-haired students, along with a full family of ginger-haired people standing at the back; his father, and what he assumed was his mother; the woman Harry had previously identified as Nymphadora, and a man with his arm around her shoulder, and scratches on his face; Professor Longbottom; and the Asian girl from earlier.

Finally, the fourth photo depicted Harry; the woman from Diagon Alley; the two ginger children; a blond haired girl who looked out-of-it; and Professor Longbottom. It was labelled 'the Second Order of the Phoenix', also dated 1995.

"I see you're taking an interest to the pictures."

Asher turned slightly, taking in the figure of Harry walking toward the three-panel mirror.

"These were some of the best moments of my life."

Asher watched as emotions danced across Harry's eyes, his hand reaching out and touching the photos as if they weren't really there.

"You know that about seventy-five percent of these people are dead now?"

Asher's head snapped up to meet Harry's eyes, but they were still watching the paper.

"Lupin; Tonks; Fred; Dumbeldore; Moody; Kingsley; Snape; Sirius... Cho…"

Harry pulled his hand back from the photo.

"I don't expect you to understand," he started, "but going through a life like mine has its toll. You see things you never wanted to see, watched family die in front of you, lost some of the closest friends you've ever made… And for something I didn't even ask for?"

Harry went silent, and Asher could only watch as his professor had memories flash before his eyes.

* * *

_"Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking... sir… even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who-"_

_"Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."_

_"Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?"__ "No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share... not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time - and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power."__ Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me... things I want to know the truth about..."_

_"The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."_

_"Well... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"__ Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time.__ "Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know."__ And Harry knew it would be no good to argue._

_"But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?"_

_"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good."__ Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet. When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the invisibility cloak - do you know who sent it to me?"_

_"Ah - your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things... your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here."_

_"And there's something else..."_

_"Fire away."_

_"Quirrell said Snape-"_

_"Professor Snape, Harry."_

_"Yes, him - Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?"_

_"Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive."__ "What?"_

_"He saved his life."_

_"What ?"__ "Yes... " said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt... I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace..."__ Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped.__ "And sir, there's one more thing..."_

_"Just the one?"_

_"How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?"__ "Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes... Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavoured one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them - but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?"__ He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Earwax!"_

* * *

When his professor returned from his memory, Asher pointed at the picture.

"Who is this girl, professor?"

Harry looked over at the picture of the Asian girl, and smiled sadly.

"That's Cho Chang."

Asher vaguely remembered his professor listing the girl's name among those who were deceased.

"Why is she the only one who has her own picture?"  
"Ah," Harry grinned, "you see, when I used this room to secretly train others, I was quite obsessed with her. Of course the next year I fell in love with Ginny and the rest is history…"

"Would the others in these pictures return if we're faced with another threat?"

Harry pondered for a moment.

"You know," he said, "there aren't very many left. But the ones that do remain, such as your parents, I'm sure will come back."

"But you'll need more, right?"

"I'd assume so."

"Well then professor," Asher turned to a table, and grabbed a packet of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, "we, my friends and I, can be the Fourth Order of the Phoenix. You'll just have to train us."

Harry grinned at Asher as Asher handed him a few beans.

"I think I'll just have to take you up on that offer." he dropped a bean into his mouth and grinned wildly.  
"What is it professor?"

Harry grinned.

"Earwax."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Some backstory in this chapter...**

* * *

**4 - Hogsmeade**

"Quidditch is going to suck this year."

Levi, Asher, Julian and Sean were sitting in the stands at the Quidditch Pitch, waiting for the potential Ravenclaw Quidditch team to have try-outs.

"Yeah, because we're not going to be on the team." Levi grinned at Sean, who chuckled a bit.

"It's just because Josiah is captain," he said, "he graduates this year, so we'll rejoin next year when he can't be in charge of us."

"You guys are crazy."

"It's not crazy," Levi quipped, "it's genius. You simply don't understand."

* * *

"All students going to Hogsmeade, permission slips are required!"

Asher, Valerie, Sean, Levi, Liz and Julian were walking down the pathway to Hogsmeade, chatting about what they were going to do.

"Zonko's?" Levi asked Julian.

"Zonko's." Julian responded, and the two ran ahead of the group, up to the large joke-shop.

"Chase has a shift at the Three Broomsticks today, so I'm going to go meet with him. Anybody else coming?" Valerie asked the remaining group.

Asher raised his hand, as did Sean, but Liz shook her head.

"I've got plans with Thad and Noah. We're going to follow Thad's crush. He doesn't know it yet, but Noah and I are planning on getting the two of them together."

Asher raised an eyebrow. Sean spoke up.  
"You know, if you told us who it was, we'd be able to help."

"No can do, I'm under strict orders not to let it slip. He's sort of embarrassed."

At Hogsmeade, Liz ran over to Thad and Noah, who were waiting at the gate to the village. Valerie then led Sean and Asher to the Three Broomsticks.

Inside, there were few people, something Valerie assured was a rarity.

"Chase!"

Valerie ran up to the counter to greet her brother. The two hugged, and when they finally let each-other go, Asher got a good look at him.

His hair was a bit longer, and the gray mark that was on his face the previous year was completely faded away. His eye, however, remained a stark white.

"Hello you guys, it's a slow day today. I'm surprised."

He ran a hand through his hair, and Asher caught a glint against a ring on his hand. Chase seemed to notice that everyone was staring, and he blushed.

"Damon proposed. Last week, actually."

Valerie instantly squealed, reaching out to grab Chase's hand. Sure enough, a different ring was placed on it. There was a gem on a gold band, larger than the one on the promise ring that Damon had shown Asher. It wasn't green anymore, but instead it was a pale gray.

"Damon found the ring in the Forbidden Forest. It was in perfect condition, except for a crack on the handle. He said it reminded him of me, so he had it repaired. Look at the cool symbol inside the gem."

He held the ring out, and Valerie inspected the gem. Inside, there was a triangle. Inside the triangle, was a vertical line down the center, and a circle.

"Pretty cool, huh?"

* * *

When the three left the pub, they saw Thad sitting on a bench with his head in his hands, with Noah and Liz on either side of him. To their left, Flint, Emma, and a boy that Asher didn't recognize were laughing a bit.

"What happened?" Valerie asked, shuffling forward to the three on the bench.

"Our plan didn't exactly work very well."

Looking over to the Gryffindors, Asher saw the unknown boy lean down and place a peck to Emma's lips. Asher's mind clicked.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?"

* * *

_"Hey you three!" Noah called out to Flint, Emma and Seth._

_ Seth was a fourth year Gryffindor, and a close friend of Flint and Emma since second year. _

_ "Thad wanted to talk to you." Noah grinned, pushing Thad forward to the three Gryffindors._

_ "Errr…"_

_ "Just a sec," Seth held up a finger, and turned to Emma, "I've got to meet up with Leo in a bit, I'll see you later?" he placed a peck to Emma's lips, and she smiled, nodding._

_ Thad turned a beet red, before looking between the three. Flint looked over at Thad._

_ "What? Are you a prude, or something?" the three Gryffindors laughed, and Thad turned around, shuffling a bit to a bench, before glaring hard at Noah._

_ "I blame you." He said, before burying his head in his hands._

* * *

"That's really it." Noah finished, and then looked down to Thad, who had removed his head from his hands.

"I'm just g-gonna go now…" he stuttered out, before standing and walking toward the castle.

"Next time, we confront Thad's crush alone." Liz nudged Noah, who looked back at her, grinning.

"So you're saying there's going to be a next time?" He raised an eyebrow, and budged her back.

She glared at him, "for _Thad_. In no way are these considered dates."

Noah laughed, "oh come on, you know you want me!"

Liz was walking away, quickly, and Noah was struggling to keep up. Levi and Julian walked up behind Asher.

"Ten bucks says they get together by the end of the year." Levi grinned, sipping from a drink he held in his hand.

"You're on!" Julian quipped, smacking Levi on the shoulder lightly.

"You understand your mission?"

Asher heard an unfamiliar voice, and turned to look back at the pub. In the alleyway, he could faintly make out three shapes. One was wearing a hooded cloak, the other two a Hogwarts uniform.

"Yes, you've told me a million times."

"Good. He'll most likely be vulnerable during classes, but it's unwise to strike then. Quidditch games are the perfect ruse."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll think of something."

The two uniformed figures exited the alley, walking back in the direction of the castle.

"This will be easy." Josiah grinned to his co-hort.

"Step one," Kai grinned, "kill Harry Potter."


	5. Chapter 5 Part 1

**AN: THIS CHAPTER IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. It introduces a few major characters, and we FINALLY discover the TRUE IDENTITY of Thad's crush! Review!**

* * *

**5 - Julian's Christmas Part 1**

"Oh my god! It's Christmas!"

Asher groaned and opened his eyes. At the end of his bed sat Levi and Julian, who wore twin grins.

"GET UP!" Levi shouted in Asher's face, before receiving thrown pillows from three different directions in the bedroom.

"Go to sleep…" Sean mumbled from his bed, pulling the covers over his head.

"It isn't even Christmas Day yet." Noah muttered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"But the holidays start today! And you guys were supposed to come back with me to my place. That's what we'd agreed on!" Julian complained, bouncing a bit on Asher's bed.

"Who all is going?" Sean asked, peering out from under his covers.

"Well," Julian took a breath, "there's you, Asher, Noah, Thad, Julian, Flint, Valerie, Liz, Janet, and Emma."

"So really, all the third year Ravenclaws, plus three Gryffindors and a Slytherin." Sean grumbled, rolling a bit.

"Pretty much," he grinned, "now get out of bed! The train leaves in two hours."

* * *

"All aboard!"

Julian was leading the third-years onto another train at King's Cross Station. Julian lived on a further side of England, so the train was required for transportation. After each of the kids handed over a ticket, and the other passengers were checked, the train began to move.

"Are you guys excited?" Julian grinned, and Levi jumped up.

"You said your cousins are going to play Quodpot with us?" He had the biggest grin on his face.

"You've got that right!"

"What's Quodpot?" Valerie asked the question that every other person in the compartment was wondering. There were so many of them, that only Julian, Levi, Valerie, Asher, and Sean were in this compartment. The others were in their own.

"Quodpot is a sport, played mostly in Russia by wizards, that's similar to our Quidditch. The objective is the same, but it's slightly more dangerous. If you hold the ball, the Quod, for too long, it explodes. You have to get it into a basket on the other side of the field, and the basket removes the enchantment. Every ball that blows up is a loss of points, and every basket is a gaining of points."

"Pretty much," Levi cut in, "it's the most violent sport ever invented."

"Yup, and my cousins are professional players. Well, all but the one. He's a seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team."

"Victor Krum." Levi grinned, and the others looked in awe, but Asher merely looked confused.

"One of the greatest Quidditch players of our time." Valerie offered the explanation to Asher before he asked.

"So we're going to actually _play_ this game?"

"Not really," Julian shrugged, "we tend to sit back while they all play, but eventually I want to get in on the action. It's actually illegal to play if you're under thirteen years old, so I've never had the chance before."

"It sure does look fun though." Levi interrupted again, and Asher simply nodded.

* * *

In the other compartment, Thad, Noah, Liz, Flint, Janet and Emma were sitting, talking occasionally. Although, the atmosphere was incredibly awkward.

"So…" Noah tried to diffuse the tension, failing miserably.

"So..." Emma repeated, and then Liz spoke up.

"How are things with you and Seth?" she asked Emma, who blushed and grinned.

"We're good. He's still a little intimidating to some of the younger students, but I'm working on it with him."

"That's good…"

* * *

"That's awesome!"

The others members of the compartment laughed, loud, before Levi continued his recollection of a past event.

* * *

Thad glanced awkwardly over to Flint, who was watching out the window. When Flint seemed to sense someone looking at him, he turned to see, but Thad flinched his head back, blushing furiously.

* * *

"WE'RE HERE!"

All the third years filed off the train, instantly splitting into their little groups. Flint went with Emma and Janet, Thad with Noah and Liz, and Asher, Valerie, Sean, Levi and Julian together.

"Follow me, you guys," Julian lead the way, "my house isn't too far from here. We need to walk."

The third years walked onward to Julian's house, still divided into their little cliques.

"Cousin!"

There were five boys in front of them. All of them rather muscular, with big grins on their faces.

The first had short black hair, and thick eyebrows. He was the tallest.  
The second had incredibly bright blue eyes, with very short black hair.  
The third was always moving, usually onto his toes and back again, with longer black hair.  
The fourth was extremely broad, with black eyes and a mild look to his face.  
The fifth was the shortest, with short black hair and a broad grin on his face.

"Guys, meet Vince, Venn, Vito, Viktor and Vlad Krum."

"How is your school, cousin?" Venn asked, with an incredible thick Bulgarian accent. He was the cousin with the very bright blue eyes, and he seemed to be the most relaxed.  
"Pretty cool," Julian grinned, "how about you?"  
"Preety cool." Venn responded, grinning at his cousin. Vito, the one who was always moving, nudged him.  
"Teel him."

Venn turned back to the others.  
"I over'erd the 'eadmaster of Durmstrang talking about plans for a tournament. Sometime over the neext few years."  
"The Triwizard Tournament?" Levi looked excited, and Venn nodded.  
"Yes, zat is the one."

"Krum, weren't you in the Triwizard Tournament when you went to Durmstrang?" Julian asked his cousin, who nodded gravely.

"Yes," Krum said, still nodding, "a boy died zat year, zo the tournament was not planned to be repeated."

"But obviously they're going to do it again. Since Venn heard then talking about it."  
"Perhaps." Vince responded, leaning up against the table.

"It doesn't matter though," Vlad interrupted, "Venn vill be ze only one of us left at Durmstrang by ze time zat 'appens."

"Ven Venn vill enter ze tournament." Their father interrupted.

Venn looked slightly embarrassed.  
"Father is slightly, how do you say, embarrassed? Because Viktor did not vin ze tournament."

"Any who," their mother cut in, "why don't you boys go outside and play something while I start working on dinner?"

* * *

**AN: I'm going to apologize for my terrible interpretation of Bulgarian accents. I apologize if they suck, or if it's too difficult to read.**


	6. Chapter 5 Part 2

**AN: I'm back! Sort of... Anyways, here's part 2 of the previous chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy! Please R&R~**

* * *

**Julian's Christmas Part 2**

"So we're gonna play Quodpot?"

The five Bulgarian siblings were leading the visitors to the field behind their home. The eldest, Vito, was carrying a large chest, which presumably contained the Quods.

The twins, Vlad and Vince were carrying the two goal-baskets, and their brooms were being carried by the second eldest, Viktor.

"Yes, ve vill be playing Quodpot." Venn smiled, as his older siblings set up the field. He gestured for everyone to mount their brooms, as Thad and Liz sat off to the side.

"Shall ve split into teams?" Viktor asked, eyeing the remaining kids, counting the necessary fourteen.

"Dibs on team captain!" Julian and Levi shouted at the same time, splitting into two separate side of the field. The others lined up as the two mischievous boys did rock-paper-scissors to determine who picks first.

"Erm…" Julian pondered, having won the rock-paper-scissors match, "Vito."  
"Viktor." Levi countered.  
"Venn."

"Vlad."

"Vince."

Once all of the regular Quodpot players had been picked, Levi continued picking from the others.  
"Flint."

"Noah."

"Sean."

"Valerie."

"Janet."

"Emma."  
"And that means Asher is with me!" Levi grins, bringing his team to one end of the field as Julian brings his to the other.

"Alright guys, so basically just get the Quod," he held up the baseball-sized ball, "into the basket on the other side before it blows up. When the other side has the Quod, you're allowed to bump into them and try knocking them off their brooms. It's not played as high up as Quidditch, so if you're bumped off it won't hurt too much."

On the other side of the field, Julian is giving his team a similar lecture.  
"Don't fly too high up or when you're knocked off it'll hurt really bad. Never hold onto the Quod too long as you fly, keep passing and the timer is reset. If you're cornered by a bunch of others, just throw it at them and hope for the best. It's a lot like hot potato."

"If the Quod explodes in your hand, we lose ten points. If it blows up in theirs, they lose ten. It doesn't hurt too bad if it blows up, but it'll be enough to knock you off your broom. If you're knocked off your broom, you're out for the rest of the round, so until a team scores. You can't try knocking anybody off unless their team has the Quod."

"Let's do this!" Levi gives his best war-cry and mounts his broom.

* * *

The game started off like you would expect it, the five Bulgarian siblings ruling the match, knocking off anybody they could, and scoring as much as possible. They were slightly more gentle with Valerie, Emma and Janet, but put their all into bashing Julian as much as possible.

Flint and Noah played like rivals, constantly attempting each-other off their brooms, only succeeding once when Vlad came to assist Flint in doing so.

* * *

"Relax, Thad. I'm sure it doesn't hurt as much as it looks. He'll be fine."

Thad still sat watching Flint as he flew around, occasionally being bashed by Noah. HE bit his lip, looking back at Liz, then back to Flint.

"I just don't want to see him hurt."

* * *

Things seemed to go downhill when Sean dropped the Quod close to the sidelines, and Thad ran over to throw it back at them. He held it in his hands as he pondered who to throw it to, eventually deciding he'd throw it to Flint.

"Thad! Throw it fast!" Julian shouts, worried, and Thad looks back at him, Quod still in hand, raised over his head as he prepares to throw it.

* * *

BOOM

* * *

Thad is thrown off his feet as the Quod explodes in his hand, right behind his head, and he flies a few feet through the air and lands head-first on the chest which was carrying the other Quods.

Vito and Venn are the fastest to get to his side, inspecting the damage.

"Someone call ze closest hospital…" Vito mutters, not moving Thad in case of any serious damage.

"I vill apparate him near to vun." Viktor, now by Thad's side, proposes, and the others nod.

Viktor grabs hold of Thad's shoulder, and with a pop, the two are gone.

* * *

"Move aside! Let me see my son!"

The students moved out of the way, and the woman stepped into view, standing before the muggle hospital bed which held her son, attached to a few cables and tubes.

"Thad, look what you've gotten yourself into," she muttered, seemingly unimpressed, "You really should try being like your siblings. Then maybe you wouldn't get into this kind of mess."

The woman left the room and didn't return.

* * *

"Well, we need to head back to Hogwarts."

"They're taking Thad to the infirmary there," Julian told the others, who nodded silently, "he should be fine, and awake, in a few weeks. So we'll see him then."

"I still feel really bad," Flint fessed, gaining the attention of Liz, "he's a cool dude. Quiet, yeah, but still cool."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Liz grinned, "with us all looking out for him we can make sure he doesn't get into any more mess for the rest of the time we're at Hogwarts."

The others nodded in silent agreement.


End file.
